Serena and Ivanovic Move Onward at Roland Garros
World number one Serena Williams moved on at the 2016 French Open on Thursday, handily defeating Brazilian Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-1 in just 66 minutes. Serena, who has lost just five games in two matches so far at Roland Garros, will next take on Kristina Mladenovic, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Hungary's Timea Babos.
Also advancing on Thursday was former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who moved past Kurumi Nara into the third round, 7-5, 6-1.
"When I'm hitting the forehand, it definitely gives me confidence, and again, it's connected with the movement. When I'm in a good position, I feel I strike it much better," Ivanovic said. "Today that was the case. And I knew I had to be aggressive and move well against her, also take time away from her, because she's great player."
Up next for Ivanovic is Ukranian Elina Svitolina, a 6-3, 6-0 winner over American Taylor Townsend. The third round matchup will be the eighth career meeting between Ivanovic and Svitolina, with Ivanovic holding a flawless 7-0 record against the Ukrainian.
"I think the whole match was actually very tough and physical. Even the games I won, I felt like I had to work hard for it," Ivanovic said. "She played really well. Got a lot of balls back and she was reading some of my shots well in the first set. I tried to be aggressive and to come in. And sort of winning the first set gave me a little bit of confidence and a little bit of structure for the second set. But it was tough until the last point."
